Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!-Chapter 29: Worth

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The Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, located at the eastern most part of the Eastern Region, feared as one of the Seven Forbidden Lands of the Four Cardinal Regions.

It loomed like a jagged wall of obsidian against the horizon, its peaks perpetually shrouded in a thick, suffocating miasma.

This was the Eastern Region’s ultimate frontier, a vertical graveyard that acted as the final barrier between the civilization of the Tian Yuan Empire and the unexplored, infinitely vast land of the Wild Lands.

Well, calling them unexplored is a bit off, since for the people of the Central Region, they knew that the Wild Lands has countless small kingdoms and independent city states, all away from the control of any empires.

However, the Empire really couldn’t care less about those civilization; they don’t have developed culture, economy, technology, and cultivation even compared to the Kingdoms in Eastern Regions.

The only reason why the Empire even knew about those civilization is because most Evil Cultivators used those civilization as their base of operations.

From time to time, the Empire would send their military to gain experience and eliminate tens of thousands of evil Cultivators.

Haoran himself has been into the Wild Lands more than once to gain experience and prestige.

This entire mountain range was actually man made, created by the First Tian Yuan Emperor to segregate the "barbarian" from the noble Tian Yuan Empire, now it serves as a domain where the laws of man were replaced by the laws of the fang and claw.

To most cultivators in the Eastern Region, venturing here was a death sentence.

Shen Haoran walked with an effortless stride, his golden-blonde hair a sharp contrast against the gloomy, vine-choked canopy.

Beside him, Ning Xueli stepped tentatively, her hand instinctively clutching the silk of her robes.

Every snap of a twig made her jump, her 8th Stage Qi Gathering aura flickering like a candle in a gale.

"A-Are you sure it’s here?" Xueli whispered, her voice trembling. "Haoran, even the legends say a Saint once entered the depths and never returned. We are barely at the outskirts, and I can already feel eyes on us that shouldn’t exist."

She was really afraid. As an 8th Stage Qi Gathering Realm Cultivator, her strength might be something in the Kingdom, but here? It was nothing.

It is said that the weakest beasts found here are 9th Stage Qi Gathering Demonic Beasts, and since Demonic Beasts are much stronger than human Cultivators at the same stage, those beasts could even threaten the life of a Core Formation realm Cultivator.

Haoran remained silent.

He was currently replaying the memories of the deceased Chu Fang.

In the "future" that had now been deleted, eight years from now, the Ogre Seven—then at the Core Formation stage—had retreated here, driven by the desperation of a lost war, searching for ways to increase their strength in hopes that they can contend against the power of Spirit Hall.

After all, from the legends, a Saint had once died here, so they thought to try their luck and see if that Saint had left an inheritance.

Turns out, what they discovered was far more impressive, the ruins of a tomb of a Supreme Emperor.

It was Tang Shan who had navigated these treacherous ravines, leading the Ogre Seven to that place.

Haoran’s lip curled in a mix of disdain and genuine curiosity.

The "future" records claimed that within two years of finding this legacy, the group had jumped from Core Formation to Spirit Ascension, with Tang Shan reaching the Nirvana Rebirth Realm after receiving all the inheritance and legacy of the Bright Silver Emperor.

But to a scion of a Central Region Hegemon, this was statistically impossible.

No inheritance, no matter how potent, should be able to bypass the fundamental laws of time and soul-tempering, allowing a pitiful Core Formation realm kids to jump straight to Spirit Ascension and Nirvana Rebirth in just two years!

These "Anomalies" were literally being spoon-fed by the Heavens themselves!

’The favoritism of the universe is truly sickening,’ Haoran thought. ’What are so special about these Anomalies anyway? Why are they so favored?’

He shook his head and glanced at Xueli. In Chu Fang’s memories, she had also went with him to the Central Region, but since they didn’t know about the Bright Silver Emperor Inheritance then, they didn’t stay here for long.

He wondered if her path in that parallel timeline had been any easier? Hmm, maybe he should find a rebirth type Anomaly in the Central Region so he can gather some information.

Suddenly, the undergrowth exploded as a beast the size of a carriage lunged into the clearing, its fur a matted black that seemed to absorb the dim light.

Wisps of dark, violet flame licked at its paws, and its eyes burned with a malevolent, predatory intelligence.

"A Hell Tiger!" Xueli shrieked, stumbling back.

From its sheer presence, the beast was at the 9th Stage of Qi Gathering.

Despite its low-tier bloodline—capping at the Nascent Soul Realm—the Hell Tiger was a nightmare for local cultivators.

Its "Hellfire" was notorious for its soul-searing properties, capable of bothering even Spirit Ascension experts if they were careless.

Even among demonic beast of the same level, the Hell Tiger was superior!

In the Central Region, the strongest Nascent Soul Expert actually possessed a Hell Tiger Spirit!

The tiger let out a low, guttural roar that vibrated in Xueli’s marrow.

It was a warning: Back off, or be consumed.

Haoran didn’t even look at the beast. He turned his golden gaze toward Xueli, his expression as cold as the mountain stone.

"Fight it."

"Huh...?" Xueli’s jaw dropped. She looked at the towering predator, then back at Haoran. "Haoran, you’re joking, right? I’m a support-type cultivator! My spirit is designed for healing and auxiliary buffs. I can’t even beat a 7th stage attacker in a fair duel, let alone a 9th stage beast!"

"Fight it," Haoran repeated, his voice dropping into a dangerous, icy register. "I don’t like to repeat myself, Xueli."

"But... I’ll die! It’ll burn me to ash before I can even—"

"Xueli." Haoran stepped into her personal space, his aura pressing down on her with the weight of a planet. "I have no interest in keeping flowers that only look beautiful in a garden. If you can’t even handle a simple beast, then tell me: what are you worth to me aside from your body? I don’t keep useless trash."

He stared at Xueli. The reason why he was so interested in her in the first place was because of her spirit, that unyielding drive even against superior power, yet now...why did she become so timid?

Are you going to disappoint me, Xueli?

The words cut deeper than any claw, as Xueli bit her lip, the sting of humiliation and fear causing tears to prick at the corners of her eyes.

She felt small, discarded, and desperate.

She looked at the tiger, then back at the man who held her future in his hands.

"O-Okay..." she whispered, her voice breaking.

Haoran reached into his spatial ring and produced a weapon that seemed to capture all the light in the clearing.

It was a dagger, its blade forged from a crystalline material that shimmered in a kaleidoscopic spectrum of nine distinct colors.

"Take this," Haoran said, handing it to her. "The Nine-Colored Dagger. It is a Rank 2 Artifact. I forged it when I was a child during my Tier 2 Artificer Promotion Exam. It is a tool for beginners, but it should suffice for someone of your level. Pour your Qi into it to activate it."

Xueli took the weapon in a daze. The weight was perfect, and the hilt felt warm against her palm. "Y-You’re an artificer?"

"I have mastered the foundations of all the great professions," Haoran said, stepping back and crossing his arms. "Now, enough talk. The tiger isn’t going to wait for your biography. Fight."

Xueli took a deep breath, her fear being slowly replaced by a burning, frantic determination.

She didn’t want to be "trash." She didn’t want to be just a body. She wanted to be able to stand beside him with pride, her head held high!

She poured all her Qi into the dagger.

Immediately, the crystal blade erupted and a shimmering, prismatic aura surrounded her, weaving a kaleidoscope of lights into a protective and augmenting shroud.

Xueli felt her senses sharpen; her vision slowed the tiger’s movements, and her strength felt as though it had tripled.

She stared at the Hell Tiger, and for the first time in her life, she didn’t see a monster, but a stepping stone.

Confidence, fueled by the staggering quality of a Central Region artifact, bloomed in her heart.

Just like this, maybe she can win!

"I won’t be your flower, Haoran," she hissed, her eyes glowing with the dagger’s light. "I’ll be your blade. So, watch me."

Haoran smirked, crossing his arms in recognition as he nodded, "Very well. Prove your worth to me, Xueli."

At that, Hell Tiger roared and lunged, but this time, Ning Xueli didn’t scream.

She moved.